FORGE 2025
March 14-15, 2025
Experiments for Change in a Shifting Global Context
Two days designed to foster a solutions-oriented community of legal experts, artists, social scientists, governance professionals, and community-based practitioners.
FORGE 2025
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In shifting global and domestic contexts, the FORGE Program is dedicated to uncovering new approaches and solutions that reimagine rights and governance worldwide. With the hope of building momentum toward a brighter future, FORGE seeks to:
Inspire the global community of practice with new ideas about global rights and governance.
Encourage experimentation with new actions (methods, practices) that can transform the outcomes for rights and governance worldwide.
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The FORGE 2025 gathering aims to meet the moment by spurring engagement on twenty-five (25) ‘experiments-for-change’ that offer forward-looking responses to current challenges and opportunities in the field.
Based on careful review of the selected proposals, the conference is structured around four strategic challenges, each reflecting an essential dimension of human rights advocacy today including:
the Politics of Human Rights & Justice;
the Future of Human Rights Funding;
Data & Technology;
and Storytelling & Narrative Strategies.
A rich program of notable speakers punctuates the program which culminates by workshopping a select set of cross-cutting themes.
Following the two-day event, final articles on each experiment-for-change will be published on the Open Global Rights landing page.
Speakers & performers
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![Close-up of a woman with dark curly hair styled in a bun, looking to the side with a gentle smile, surrounded by green plants.]()
Azita Ardakani Walton
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![A middle-aged man with dark hair and a beard smiling with arms crossed outside on a city street, wearing a dark blazer and a light-colored shirt.]()
César Rodríguez-Garavito
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![A woman with curly dark hair wearing a black top, looking at the camera against a blurred warm-colored background.]()
Elisa Morgera
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![A smiling woman with short blonde hair, glasses, and wearing a light blue blazer, standing outdoors with trees and a black iron fence in the background.]()
Margaret L. Satterthwaite
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![A professional man outdoors, smiling, wearing glasses, a navy blazer, light blue shirt, and striped tie.]()
Troy McKenzie
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![A woman with dark brown, wavy hair wearing a sleeveless navy blue top, smiling with cross arms against a dark gray background.]()
Johanna Chao Kreilick
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![A young man with curly hair hiking in a forest, carrying a backpack with a rolled-up sleeping pad and wearing a beige scarf.]()
Cosmo Sheldrake
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![A woman sitting on a moss-covered rock in a lush green forest, smiling and looking at the camera.]()
Danielle Celermajer
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![Close-up of a middle-aged man with gray hair and light skin outdoors in a wooded area, wearing a dark shirt.]()
Jack Saul
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![A smiling middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a hat and a button-up shirt. He is outdoors, possibly at a cafe or park, with trees and blurry background. He has a watch on his left wrist and rests his chin on his left hand.]()
Stephen Duncombe
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![Black and white photo of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a sleeveless black top, crossing her arms and looking at the camera with a neutral expression.]()
Eliana Hernández-Pachón
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![A group of men seated in a dimly lit room, with the man in the foreground having long curly hair, glasses, a beard, and wearing a patterned jacket, holding something in his hands. The other men are sitting behind him, one resting his chin on his hand and another with gray hair and glasses.]()
Dylan McGarry
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![A man with glasses and a beard holding a colorful parrot, outdoors with a blue sky and green trees in the background.]()
Jonathan Watts
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![Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black blazer, standing outdoors in front of green leafy shrubbery.]()
Genevieve Guenther
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![Headshot of a middle-aged man with glasses, gray hair, a beard, in a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, against a dark background.]()
Andrew C. Revkin
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![A woman with curly blonde hair wearing a black shirt and black pants, sitting on a gravel path by the water, dipping her hand into a small pond, holding a bottle in her other hand, surrounded by greenery.]()
Erin Robinsong
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![A panel discussion at an event titled 'Future of Rights and Governance' organized by NYU. Three women are seated on stage, one speaking into a microphone, with an audience in front.]()
The Current Geopolitics of Human Rights & Justice
Conversation with César Rodríguez-Garavito, Elisa Morgera and Margaret Sattherthwaite
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![Three people seated on a panel at a conference. The man on the left is older with curly hair, holding a microphone and some papers. The woman in the middle has dark hair tied back, wearing a brown checkered blazer, and holds a notebook. The woman on the right, with her hair in a bun, is speaking into a microphone, wearing a patterned blazer. There is a large backdrop behind them with text and graphics.]()
Creative Resistance in the Polycrisis
Conversation wtih Azita Ardakani Walton, Danielle Celermajer and Jack Saul
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![A speaker stands on stage in front of a large blue backdrop with the word "FORGE" and the tagline "Future of Rights and Governance" at a conference or event. An audience is seated and listening, with two screens displaying the same "FORGE" branding on either side of the stage.]()
Narrative Change: Why Stories Matter
Stephen Duncombe
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![Two people sit on a stage in front of a colorful underwater-themed backdrop, with a man speaking and a woman listening. Audience silhouettes are in the foreground.]()
Arts and Environmental Justice
Conversation with Elisa Morgera and Dylan McGarry Dylan McGarry
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![A man in a gray suit, white shirt, and striped red and blue tie holding a microphone and speaking at a formal event. He has glasses and short hair, with a dark background and a plant visible to the right.]()
Remarks
Dean Troy McKenzie
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![A woman with dark hair wearing a red shirt is holding papers and looking at them. She has a microphone attached to her shirt. The background has a colorful mural, and there are green plants in the foreground, slightly out of focus.]()
Poetry Reading
Eliana Hernández-Pachón
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Poetry Reading
Erin Robinsong
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![A panel discussion with three people sitting on stage with a colorful ocean-themed backdrop, potted plants, and an audience watching.]()
Book Launch: The Many Lives of James Lovelock
Genevieve Guenther,Jonathan Watts, and Andrew C. Revkin
Open Global Rights series
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![Digital art of a neighborhood with houses and a pathway, overlaid with binary code and digital effects.]()
Data & Justice: Mapping police violence in Rio’s Favela da Maré
Data analysis can serve as a potent tool to hold law enforcement accountable.
By Aline Galdino de Oliveira & André Galdino de Oliveira & Aristênio Gomes dos Santos
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![Silhouette of a person in front of a camera setup with purple and pink lighting, behind a curtain, on a textured floor.]()
Indigenous cinema: A new mode of creative self-determination
The affective qualities of film can help reframe humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
By Tom Driver
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![A discarded microphone lying on the ground of a busy city street with tall skyscrapers and blurry pedestrians in the background.]()
Epistemic rights help explain attacks on the press
This concept can enhance investigations and connect concerns when journalists are targeted.
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![An abstract surreal landscape with vibrant orange, purple, and blue colors, featuring a red arched door open to a yellow-orange desert-like scene, surrounded by stylized orange and purple trees and textured ground.]()
Access to justice as a gateway for human rights achievements
Brazil’s reliance on individualized litigation to access social security benefits may be entrenching inequality.
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![A close-up drawing of a human eye with colored elements in the iris, showing detailed eyelashes, eyelid, and skin texture.]()
Healing the defenders: Grassroots solutions for activist well-being
As human rights defenders face increasing risks, grassroots organizations are building the foundation for lasting change through collective care.
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![A digital rendering of a clenched fist surrounded by a futuristic, computer-generated interface with glowing blue and orange elements and circuit-like patterns.]()
Why data science belongs at the heart of international human rights advocacy
Data science can provide human right advocates with powerful new tools.
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![Silhouettes of women dancing with red and blue background, overlaid by a black Wi-Fi symbol.]()
Resistance, solidarity, and narrative change after setbacks
Losses could serve as opportunities to think about strategies to stay in the game.
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![Double exposure of a hand holding a Jamaican national ID card over a line drawing of a woman's face with glasses and earrings, with a colorful dotted background.]()
Reforming digital identification in Jamaica’s low-trust environment
To be successful, ambitious digital projects must be undertaken alongside community outreach and sustained trust-building initiatives.
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![A digitally manipulated city skyline with pink hues and binary code on the water in the foreground.]()
Human rights and the smarter city
How cities can implement ambitious public technology projects while respecting human rights.
By Martha F. Davis & Alejandro Jaramillo Jimenez & Kimberly D. Lucas & Annabel Shu
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![People holding up smartphones in a crowd, taking pictures or videos, with vibrant pink and purple lighting effects.]()
Human rights documentation is dead. Long live human rights documentation!
As the effectiveness of established methods of documentation comes under scrutiny, new tools and practices present both opportunities and challenges.
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![Illustration of the Earth with a stylized depiction of continents in orange and yellow, surrounded by a pastel background with abstract shapes. There are six people holding hands in the foreground, representing diversity, with some wearing traditional Australian attire, and others in modern clothing. The scene emphasizes unity and global connection.]()
The future of global economic governance: A rights-based vision
Our financial system protects the rich while deepening inequality and harming women in the Global South. It’s time to reclaim the economy for all.
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![A digital illustration of two girls approaching a house with a glowing sign that says 'LOVE.' The scene is colorful with pink and purple hues, and there are abstract patterns and silhouettes of tree branches overhead.]()
Feel to act: Making the case for an affective turn to the climate movement
Emotion can help spur climate action where raw data falls short.
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![Collage of various abstract and photographic images, including faces, children holding hands, a cloudy sky, a woman in profile, and artistic patterns with vibrant colors and a mosaic layout.]()
Shifting power in today’s philanthropy
A discussion regarding how philanthropic efforts can avoid gatekeeping and perpetuating existing power imbalances.
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![Illustration of Earth with multiple women walking and interacting on the surface, wearing pink tops and dark skirts or pants, with trees around the edges.]()
Nonprofits and the double-edged sword of AI
AI can either widen inequalities or become a tool for social good. The non-profit world must get closer to new technologies, taking advantage of the benefits while carefully evaluating all the risks.
